18 Brand-New Healthy Foods That Are Totally Worth the Hype

Recently, over 12,000 dietitian nutritionists gathered in Chicago for the annual Food and Nutrition Conference and Exhibition where many new and innovative healthy foods were featured. Here are some favorites.

Courtesy Biena Foods

Biena Chickpea Snacks

Chickpeas are super healthy, which is why you’ll want to check out Biena’s new dark chocolate-covered roasted chickpeas. These are the ultimate indulgent yet low-sugar snack made with real fair-trade certified chocolate and caramel. There are also Biena’s signature sea salt roasted chickpeas. These snack servings of 35 chickpeas for 130 calories, and a good source of protein and fiber. Satisfy your “must-have-it-now” chocolate cravings and still truly feel good about yourself.

ranch-dressing
Courtesy Chosen Foods

Chosen Foods Chipotle Ranch Salad Dressing

Salads are a great choice—unless you make these salad mistakes. If you’re looking for a healthier salad dressing, here’s a creamy one with a kick, Chipotle Ranch: Chosen Foods created a condiment with 100 percent pure avocado oil and no preservatives. Dress up your greens with a lower sugar, gluten-free option. Other flavors include orange balsamic and lemon garlic.

Bread
Courtesy Daves Killer Bread

Dave’s Killer Bread

Want some science-backed reasons to eat bread? Here are seven. The newest variety from Dave’s delicious bread line is a thin-sliced white bread. Packed with fiber and protein from quinoa, spelt, rye, millet and barley, it looks and tastes like white bread. Other tasty flavors from Dave’s Killer Bread include 21-grain, honey oats and flax, 100 percent whole wheat and powerseed.

Cheese
Courtesy Daiya foods

Daiya Cutting Board Collection Shreds

These dairy, soy and gluten-free Cheeze shreds have a new and improved recipe. Daiya Cheeze includes a proprietary signature blend of tapioca, pea protein, and vegetable oils to give its cheese-alternative the same melt, stretch, taste, and aroma as real cheese. Daiya even nailed down the intricate science behind getting a plant-based cheese to age like a dairy-based cheese, all while keeping its products dairy, gluten, and soy-free. Flavors include pepper jack, cheddar, and mozzarella. Here are some vegan comfort recipes you should know about.

Cheesecake
Courtesy Daiya foods

Daiya Pumpkin Spice Cheezecake

It’s the right time of year to crave pumpkin, and reach for the Daiya: This rich, creamy and irresistible Cheezecake is a guilt-free indulgence infused with hints of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Celebrate the season with pure plant-based joy. Free of dairy, soy and gluten. Other flavors available year-round include key lime, strawberry, chocolate and New York Cheezecake.

Yogurt
Courtesy Daiya Foods

Daiya Greek Yogurt Alternatives

In need of a dairy-free yogurt? Daiya’s vanilla and plain flavors are brand new to the food market in the last five months. Made with coconut cream, and featuring six to nine grams of plant-based protein per serving, these new flavors will join an existing assortment of real fruit-filled flavors (Peach, Black Cherry, Strawberry and Blueberry). The creamy and rich texture is satisfying, and these yogurt alternatives are an excellent source of calcium, Vitamin D and B12.

Crust
Courtesy Califlour foods

Cali’Flour Foods Pizza Crusts

Everyone’s looking for ways to squeeze more veggies into their diet, and here’s a list of nutritious and filling veggies to add to your meals. Here’s another clever solution: Cali’flour Foods crusts are, yes, cauliflower. They’re made using fresh, straight-from-the-farm ingredients and are a fully-baked product from the company’s oven to the customer’s. Use these tasty crusts for more than just pizza—they work for sandwiches, quiche, taco shells, and even lasagna. All crusts are gluten-free and low in carbohydrate. Varieties include cauliflower-based, red pepper-based, and a new plant-base that is vegan and dairy-free.

Chocolate
Courtesy enjoy life foods

Enjoy Life Chocolate Snack Pack

Who wouldn’t want a handful of chocolate chips as a snack? Better yet—a portion-controlled snack of chocolate chips to take on the go. Enjoy Life products are always free of the top eight allergens. Available in mini chips and dark chocolate morsels, these snack packs provide the perfect fix to satisfy all chocolate cravings—and reap these great health benefits of chocolate.

popcorn
Courtesy pop i.g. snacks

Pop IQ Popped Sorghum

Move over, popcorn! There’s a new snack in town. Sorghum is an old-school grain grown in the USA in a sustainable way. A sorghum crop uses half of the water of some other grains. Naturally high in minerals and the phytochemicals phenolic acids, sterols and anthocyanins, sorghum is a nutritious snack that tastes delicious. Pop IQ offers flavors such as cheddar cheese, sea salt and pepper, Tuscany blend, and sweet kettle. Perfect healthy snacks for kids.

Yogurt
Courtesy Muuna

Muuna Cottage Cheese

“Ridiculously creamy” is the slogan, and it is spot on. Muuna cottage cheese is a delicious and convenient way to eat protein and calcium any time of the day. Free of artificial sweeteners, the portion controlled servings are mixed with fresh fruit—mango, strawberry, blueberry, peach or pineapple.

Beets
Courtesy Rhythm superfoods

Rhythm Superfoods Beet Chips

Veggie chips are all the rage—think of them as a healthier version of potato chips with less fat, more fiber and antioxidants. These beet chips caught my eye, as I love beets in any form. Beets are packed with nutrients and health benefits. You’ll find the healthy snacks in ‘naked,’ sea salt and cinnamon-coconut flavors. Rhythm Superfoods also offers kale chips in traditional, ranch or zesty nacho flavors. Or, try roasted kale leaves in chili lime, roasted garlic and onion, smoky bacon or sea salt and vinegar varieties.

salmon
Courtesy Starkist

Starkist Selects EVOO

Premium skinless, boneless, and 100 percent wild-caught pink salmon packed in extra virgin olive oil for a savory taste ready for your next recipe. Packed in a no-drain, flavor fresh pouch, it’s easy to take this natural source of omega-3’s anywhere and eat anytime. Enjoy on a salad, in a sandwich, on crackers, or right from the pouch. Other flavors include yellowfin tuna and yellowfin tuna with sun-dried tomatoes.

Tuna
Courtesy Starkist

Starkist Bold Flavors

Did you know that spicy food can boost your metabolism? That’s even more reason to get a kick with your omega-3-rich tuna: Try out Sriracha or Tapatio hot sauce and lime flavored tuna pouches from Starkist. Wild-caught, dolphin-safe tuna containing over 100 mg DHA/EPA omega-3 fatty acids, 14-plus grams of protein, and less than 90 calories. Perfect for an afternoon protein-packed healthy snack, or part of a well-balanced lunch.

Chips
Courtesy late july

Late July Corn Dippers

A healthier chip? Yes, please! These incredibly crispy and flaky Organic Cantina Dippers (aka the ‘no drip chip’) feature an ideal shape perfect dipping. Available with blue or white organic corn, Dippers are the latest offering from the number-one organic tortilla chip brand in America. Both the white and blue corn varieties are organic, non-gmo, gluten-free and have no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.

Peanutbutter
Courtesy Peanutbutter Co

Might Nut Honey Powdered Peanut Butter

You may not have heard of powdered peanut butter, but it’s a protein-boosting trick that nutritionists swear by. Mighty Nut Honey powdered peanut butter is great for shakes, as a spread, or for baking. And, it contains 90 percent less fat than traditional peanut butter. Peanut Butter & Co. uses only American grown peanuts, too.

maple-Water
Courtesy Drink maple

Drink Maple

Heard of maple water? It’s actually the early spring sap directly from the maple tree. It’s incredibly nutritious—containing over 46 naturally occurring polyphenols, antioxidants, prebiotics, minerals and electrolytes. It’s a sustainable way to literally tap into the tree extracting the water and improving the tree’s longevity in the process. And, less than half the sugar of coconut water in this one-ingredient beverage.

Happy-bars
Courtesy Rachel Pauls food

Happy Bars

If you’re unaware of what FODMAP is all about, here’s everything you didn’t know to ask. Basically it’s a diet that avoids difficult-to-digest carbs which can lead to gas, bloating, diarrhea and other symptoms associated with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), a condition that impacts the lives of more than 40 million Americans. A diet low in FODMAPs is an effective treatment for IBS. These certified low-FODMAP energy bars are rich in fiber, protein and healthy fats derived from nuts, and were created by surgeon and researcher, Rachel Pauls, MD, after a long search for a great tasting, low-FODMAP energy bar. When her search hit a deadend, she created her own. The result is Happy Bars, delectable low-FODMAP healthy snacks.

Muffins
Courtesy Simple Mills

Simple Mills Gluten-Free Baking Mixes

Finding tasty gluten-free baking mixes that actually make an attractive product is challenging. Simple Mills sells a huge line of GF mixes for muffins, cakes, cookies, pizza dough, and waffles. Made with almond flour, coconut flour, and arrowroot, the muffins are delicious in pumpkin, banana, and chocolate flavors.

Disclosure: This post is brought to you by Reader’s Digest editors, who aim to highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of revenue from our partners, such as Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We welcome your feedback. Have something you think we should know about? Email us at [email protected]

Jennifer Bowers, PhD, RD
Jennifer is a doctoral-level Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) with nearly 25 years of experience. For the majority of her career she has focused on health care, disease prevention, and nutrition education for a range of ages—from middle school to graduate school students. In private practice, Dr. Bowers is involved in freelance writing and extracurricular nutrition clubs for children. When not working, she enjoys swimming, running, hiking, biking, camping, cooking, and reading.